


It only took one lie

by Kytanna



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bilbo Remains In Erebor, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Misunderstandings, Pining, Slow Burn (kinda), Thorin is a Softie, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:35:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21859180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kytanna/pseuds/Kytanna
Summary: Thorin had gone and mucked it all up!It was in times like these that Bilbo truly believed dwarves had nothing more than rocks for brains.What was Thorin thinking when he told Dís they were courting was beyond him, and of course now Bilbo had to go along with it and lie to help Thorin deceive, not only Dís, but also the entire mountain.It didn't help that his heart skipped a beat every time Thorin as much as brushed against him. Bilbo only hoped his poor heart would survive the whole ordeal...
Relationships: Bilbo Baggins & Dwalin, Bilbo Baggins & Fíli & Kíli, Bilbo Baggins & Thorin Oakenshield, Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield
Comments: 24
Kudos: 389
Collections: Have A Happy Hobbit Holiday 2019





	It only took one lie

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AndyCmorga](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AndyCmorga/gifts).



> Happy Christmas AndyCmorga!!! Hope you have an amazing day and that my gift fits your tastes. I tried to include as many as your likes as I could! This was really fun to write and I hope you like it.
> 
> A huge thanks to @Navyfeather for proof-reading this and listening to all my ramblings! You're a lifesaver darling. ❤
> 
> Go to the endnotes to find the translations of the khuzdul words that appear in the fic.

“You did what?!” Shouted Bilbo, fastening his robe. The last thing he expected on a peaceful Sunday afternoon was for Thorin to come barging in his house and tell him _that_.

“I might have panicked for a moment and I might have ended up telling Dís we’re dating.” Said Thorin, scratching his neck and refusing to meet Bilbo's eyes. He sighed and looked at Bilbo, his face slightly flushed. “I was hoping you could aid me, Master Baggins. She seemed genuinely happy and it’s been a long while since I see her like that. I can’t tell her the truth.”

“You simply don’t want Dís to laugh at you, do you?” Asked Bilbo, crossing his arms and giving Thorin a disapproving look.

Thorin's eye twitched — a clear sign that Bilbo had been spot on. “You can hardly fault me, she’s merciless and if she found out I lied to her she would never let me forget about it!” 

Bilbo gave him a commiserating look. Thorin looked genuinely worried and just as he had said, Bilbo could hardly fault him. Dís was even worse than Kíli and Fíli combined when it came to teasing and taunting her older brother. She was the definition of 'troublesome little sister' and wore the title with pride. Bilbo thought it wouldn’t hurt to fool her for a little bit more, the lie would be found out soon enough — after all, no one on their right mind would believe Thorin had chosen a simple hobbit as his long-life partner. 

"Very well." Said Bilbo, at last. "But! — But I will only help you until you find the guts to tell her." Bilbo added when Thorin gave him a relieved look. "Also, if we're courting, the very least you could do is call me by my name."

"Thank you, Bilbo. I truly appreciate your help." Thorin said, squeezing one of Bilbo's hands between his own.

"What did you tell Dís exactly? We need to create a credible story if you truly want this to work." Bilbo tugged Thorin by the hand. "Come sit, we'll be more comfortable inside."

Thorin sat and Bilbo brought out another cup for him, serving him the tea — that thankfully remained warm — that Bilbo had been drinking before the dwarf came banging on his door.

"Wasn't Dís even slightly suspicious? Everyone would be...She has been here for more than a couple of months and it's been almost a year since I decided to remain in Erebor. It's more than a little odd that she hasn't heard anything about our supposed courting." Bilbo sat down and took a sip from his cup. "Even if we were trying to be subtle, had it been all true, Kíli would have tattled the moment she set foot on the mountain."

"Aye, that's true." Agreed Thorin. "She had the very same inquiries but I was able to fool her by telling her that our courtship has begun very recently, not more than two weeks ago, and that we wanted privacy for a while." Thorin picked up one of the cookies Bilbo had laid out for his afternoon tea and took a bite. "She was quite happy when she believed to be the first one to find out about our supposed relationship. She didn't question me further after that."

"Oh, really?" Bilbo inquired, trying to meet Thorin's eyes, that were seemingly fixated on the cookies. "There's no way in all Arda that someone as curious, to not say nosy, as Dís didn't question you further." Bilbo found that hard to believe, especially because Dís seemed to have a particular interest in Thorin's love life — more like the lack of it, actually.

"She prodded about the nonsensical details of our courting and our time together before that. Nothing you have to worry about."

"Of course I worry about it! What if she asks me about it and our answers don't match?" Bilbo frowned. "I want this farse to be over but not in such a foolish way." 

Thorin sighed and cleared his throat and Bilbo blinked in amazement when he noticed the light pink dusting on his bearded cheeks. "Very well, if you must know my sister asked me about how I knew I fell in love with you and how we got together." 

"Oh." Said, Bilbo. "What did you tell her?" He asked after a few seconds of silence.

"I gave her many believable reasons and that we got together due to an impulse kiss." Thorin answered, dusting the crumbs from his robes.

Bilbo's nose twitched, not missing the fact that Thorin had no answered his first question. "What do you mean by impulse kiss?" 

"We kissed in the heat of the moment. I told her we were arguing about a meaningless thing and that things got heated and we ended up kissing." 

Bilbo chuckled. "And I imagine after that we confessed our undying love for one another and got our happily ever after." Mocked Bilbo, sardonically.

"Aye." Said Thorin with a nod.

Bilbo's smile slipped off and he blinked a couple of times, not believing his ears.

"You can't be that surprised. You know how much she loves that sort of stories, it wasn't hard to convince her our relationship was similar to the ones that appear in her novels." Thorin explained, looking way too self-satisfied for Bilbo's tastes. 

"I- Hm. well, I suppose you're right…" Said Bilbo dubiously.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Thorin but his lies tended to be slightly outlandish when he panicked and there was no doubt in Bilbo's mind that he had panicked horribly after blurting that they were more than friends to Dís. On the other hand, she was more cunning than it met the eye and Bilbo doubted she could have been fooled by such a half-arsed story. 

Bilbo sighed, if that was the case then both of them would have to bear with the blunt of her mockery. Either way, Bilbo had no other option than to stay with Thorin till the end. 

Friendship was a truly horrible thing, indeed…

"Oh no…" Muttered Bilbo, suddenly remembering a very important thing.

"What?" Asked Thorin, looking as uneasy as Bilbo felt.

"We'll also have to tell the company about our courting." Bilbo explained, not for the first time, regretting having accepted to help Thorin.

"Mahal saves us all…" 

* * *

“So that’s how it is...” Bilbo said as he finished his explanation. “We’re sorry to have hidden it from you but we needed some time for ourselves.”

Bilbo looked nervously around the room, where the whole company was sitting. He had no idea what to expect. 

Bugger! He didn’t even expect that their lie would work on them, perhaps Dís was able to fall for it but Bilbo had spent a lot of time with these dwarves and knew them as well as one knew their family. Of course that went both ways and when no one said anything for a while Bilbo was sure their lie had been discovered.

Bilbo began thinking all the way he could bribe them to keep their mouths shut when Kíli shouted, “Finally!”

See, that’s what Bilbo had thought, them having a romantic relationship was too outlandish to be believable. There was no way Thorin would see him like that and everyone-

Wait…

“What?” Uttered Bilbo.

“It was time it happened! Fee and I even had a bet going on about when you would finally realize your feelings were mutual.” Explained Kíli with a smug smile. 

Bilbo sputtered, words failing him as they had never before. Meanwhile, he absently heard Thorin cough like he had a rock stuck in his throat.

“I already knew it.” Boasted Nori. “You were both very obvious with your smitten and love-filled puppy stares”

Bilbo could only look in shock as the rest of the dwarves argued about who knew first. Not a single one of them doubting their words…

He shared a glance with Thorin and the dwarf king simply shrugged. 

Right.

“Well, it was a matter of time. We all knew it would happen sooner or later but I must admit I’m rather glad it hadn’t been any later.” Balin grasped Bilbo’s shoulders and gently tapped Bilbo’s forehead with his own. “Congratulations my friend. May you share a long life together, Mahal knows I have never seen Thorin happier than when he’s with you.”

Bilbo swallowed thickly. He hadn’t expected that. Now he felt guilty for lying to his friends and the thought of that comment not being actually true left a bitter taste in his mouth. Anyone who was by Thorin’s side would be more than blessed, he knew that, but Bilbo also knew that the one to take that place could never be him. He was aware of that and had made peace with it and yet…

Blasted all! He shouldn’t have agreed to go along with this ruse. It was only serving to put his already battered heart through more hardship. 

“Good for ye, Thorin!” Shouted Dwalin, drawing Bilbo out from his thoughts. “Finally caught yer hobbit.”

Bilbo looked at Thorin for clarification but the only answer he got was the reddening of the tips of Thorin’s ears. Thorin wasn’t one much for blushing but in the last couple of days, he had seen him do it more than throughout all the quest. 

“A-aye.” Answered Thorin. He cleared his throat and before Bilbo could even see it coming the dwarf had firmly wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling Bilbo flush against his side. “Bilbo is my greatest treasure.” He murmured not meeting Bilbo’s eyes.

Bilbo's eyes widened in surprise and he felt his own face heat; without thinking too much about it he leaned on Thorin, enjoying his warmth.

“You’re very special to me too, Thorin.” Said Bilbo, his heart hammering in his chest, so loudly for a moment Bilbo thought everyone might hear it too, and unlike Thorin — who surely was only pretending — Bilbo said the truth his heart had been hiding for so long.

This could only end up in tears for Bilbo but perhaps this is what he needed to move on. This was an opportunity he couldn’t let pass by. The idea of being able to be closer to Thorin, even if it was for a limited period of time, was enough to make it worth it.

He just hoped his heart would recover from it, afterwards.

* * *

“I know it might be too much to ask after all you have already done for me but...” Thorin trailed off. 

Bilbo looked up from the report about food supplies he was reading. “Yes?” Pressed Bilbo. Since he had decided to stay in Erebor there was rarely a time when he wasn't busy, ruling a mountain was no easy work and the least Bilbo could do was help the king in what he could, now if said king would just let him do his work…

“We need to hold hands.” Thorin stated, deadpan.

“Excuse me?” 

“People are starting to get suspicious of why we’re so distant with each other. The other day Balin told me that it was more than fine to at least hold hands in public, that there was no shame in it.” Thorin said as he sat on a nearby chair, sighing in exhaustion.

“If you had just told Dís the truth from the beginning things wouldn’t have turned so complicated.” Bilbo said as he returned his attention to the report. When he didn’t hear a response he looked up, only to find Thorin looking properly chastised, now it was Bilbo’s turn to sigh. It was laughable how easy Thorin was able to bend him to his will. “Very well, I don’t mind holding hands with you, but if you don’t want them to be suspicious I would suggest doing something more personal, rather than simply letting them see us hold hands like young children.” 

Thorin who was now looking relieved, asked, “more personal?” with a confused frown. 

“Yes, we could invite them for dinner.” Suggested Bilbo, putting down the papers for the day. It was obvious he wasn’t going to get much work done that day. “In the Shire, it’s customary to invite your friends and family over to share a meal you and your beloved have prepared together. If you’re not opposed, we could do that.”

Thorin rubbed his bearded chin, pensively, and said, “aye, that could work. It’s been too long since I have tasted your cooking, besides, having the opportunity to see first-hand how you manage to transform tasteless vegetables into something so flavourful and delicious is a chance I cannot miss.” Thorin paused for a moment, looking slightly worried. “Although...I must admit I’m not as competent as I would like when it comes to cooking. I wouldn’t want to hinder you.”

Bilbo’s face broke into a smile, he had given the idea without much thought but now the thought of having the opportunity to cook with Thorin was getting more and more appealing as the minutes passed. Cooking with someone was an act of true trust for hobbits, it was intimate and they believed that doing it with the person you loved always made the food taste better. 

“You shouldn’t worry, Thorin.” Said Bilbo, putting his hand on top of Thorin’s and giving it a light squeeze in reassurance. “I was able to teach Balin and Dwalin how to make cookies. I’m sure you won’t be worse than them...I, in fact, don’t believe there exists someone worse than them.”

Thorin guffawed, throwing his head back. Bilbo’s heart skipped a beat, nowadays seeing Thorin laugh wasn’t an odd sight but it still made Bilbo feel fortunate to be able to witness it. His whole demeanour changed, he looked younger and full of life. A happy Thorin was the one Bilbo loved the most.

“I suppose you’re right. We all suffered their failed tries but I wager you find it all worth it. Dwalin has stopped asking you for cookies every time he goes over to your rooms, hasn’t he?” Asked Thorin, a smile adorning his face.

“He has!” Exclaimed Bilbo. “It was hard work but I’m glad we succeeded. I was getting rather tired of being treated as his cooky restocker.” He said, crossing his arms with a huff. 

“I can very well imagine but when it comes to cookies Dwalin is relentless.” Thorin got up from his chair and cleared his throat. “So, this dinner you mentioned, when do you suppose would be a good time to have it?” 

Bilbo thought about it for a moment, he still had to buy the ingredients and the dinner would have to be on a day Thorin could take the evening off, as well as the rest of the dwarves…

“How about in two days?” Asked Bilbo. “That will give us time to prepare for it and invite our friends over. Come over my rooms around four, I'll have everything ready by then.” 

“Very well then. I’ll make sure to let our friends know.” Said Thorin, getting up from his chair. He walked towards Bilbo until he was by his side, Bilbo turned slightly but before Bilbo could ask anything Thorin bend over and pressed their foreheads together as he softly said, “thank you.”

Bilbo nodded at him, words failing him once again. He watched as Thorin left the study and when he was sure there was no one around Bilbo touched his forehead, his finger ghosting over where Thorin’s forehead had touched his own. It had been quick and over before Bilbo could truly enjoy it but he could still feel the brush of Thorin’s curls against his face and the smell of smoke and that mint tea Thorin loved so much.

Bilbo took a deep breath, his face aflame. Air, yes, he needed air… Perhaps he could swing by Dale to do the shopping…

* * *

He could get used to this, thought Bilbo, as Thorin helped him laid out the ingredients for the pie.

In the end, they had decided for not overly complicated dishes like roasted beef, fried fish and pies. Dishes Bilbo was sure the dwarves would love and Thorin wouldn’t have trouble preparing. He had made bread and pastries in advance and only had the muffins and cookies left to bake.

The last couple of days they had tried to be closer to one another in front of people and even if at the beginning it had felt forced soon enough they both got used to it. Bilbo no longer startled every time Thorin held his hand and Thorin had finally stopped going rigid whenever Bilbo touched him for more than a few seconds.

“Can you please put the beef in the oven while I cut the vegetables?” Asked Bilbo, already peeling the onions. 

“Aye, leave it to me.” Said Thorin, moving around Bilbo’s kitchen with ease. He had turned out to be a very fine cook and while he still believed that they didn’t need that many greens in their dishes his seasoning and his skill with the knife were impeccable. 

It had been a long time since Bilbo had cooked with someone and he was having more fun than he had expected. 

When he finished cutting the carrots a thought came to him; he put down the knife and walked towards the pantry. How silly of him! How could he have forgotten to check if he any red wine left!

He rummaged around, already dreading the worst. Bilbo looked into the top shelve, his last hope — where he tended to store his more precious edible treats.

Bilbo stood on his tiptoes, raising his head as high as he could. There it was! An unopened bottle of Bilbo’s favourite red wine, and as he had expected it was on the far end of the shelf — impossible to reach without the aid of a chair if you were a hobbit. 

Fully aware of that, Bilbo still tried to reach the bottle by standing on the tip of his fuzzy toes and stretching his arm as far he could, even then, he was barely able to brush the bottle with the tip of his index finger.

Suddenly, Bilbo felt a presence behind him and a slight weight pressing against his back; he turned back sharply and was met with Thorin’s chest in front of his face. Bilbo looked up and found Thorin looking at him, amusement shining in his eyes. Bilbo smiled back and when he felt arms reach around him he reluctantly lifted his own, intending to wrap them around the dwarf that was in front of him. 

“You could have asked me for help.” Thorin said with a slight smile “Here.” 

Bilbo looked down at the bottle Thorin had passed him in astonishment. Of course! The bottle… The wine… The bottle of red wine… 

Bilbo felt his face furiously blush and quietly thanked Thorin, getting away as fast as he could and praying to Ilúvatar Thorin hadn’t realized what Bilbo had been about to do. 

For Yavanna’s sake. A hug! He had been so close to wrapping himself around Thorin like an octopus. How embarrassing… 

No, Bilbo shook his head, that wasn’t okay. Even if he had ended up hugging Thorin it wouldn’t have been that odd, they had hugged before and Bilbo was known for being affectionate with his friends — not as affectionate as dwarves, but still affectionate. Yes, it would be okay, there was nothing to worry about. Bilbo had no business being that nervous or overly self-conscious about a mere hug. 

Everything would be easier if he didn’t have these… feelings.

Just as Bilbo put down the bottle of wine he heard a heavy knock on his door. He instantly panicked, what is it really that late? He hoped not.

He hurried to open the door, only to find a pair of young dwarves smiling mischievously at him. 

“Fíli, Kíli! What brings you so early? Thorin and I still have much to do.” Bilbo told them.

“That’s why we’re here!” Said Kíli, enthusiastically.

“Aye, we came to help.” Added Fíli, smiling innocently at him. 

Bilbo didn’t trust that smile...

“Well, come in, then.” He said, anyway, because the boys might be up to something but at least that would distract him enough from thinking too much about his closeness with Thorin.

Quickly enough he found something to occupy the boys with. They were frequent guests in his home and it was not an odd sight to find them cooking with Bilbo, thus Bilbo felt at ease with trusting them the preparations of the cookies and the muffins — always keeping a close eye on them, of course. Bilbo trusted them enough to know they were capable of making something edible but he still knew they might end up eating all the ingredients before they actually made something.

One thing Bilbo didn’t account for — or more exactly, he failed to remember — was that in front of people Thorin would be openly affectionate and that Bilbo was supposed to do the same thing.

This was no good, he needed to calm down. If the rest saw him acting like that they would know for sure something was wrong. Bilbo had to behave like they were truly courting, no more half-done acting. 

Blasted all! One of the reasons he had agreed to play the part — as selfish as that sounded — was so he could have a taste of what being Thorin’s partner would be like but so far he hadn’t enjoyed any of it, being too busy blushing like a young maiden.

Yes, he would enjoy it! Bilbo deserved at least that.

With that in mind, he approached Thorin, who was trying to not smear dough into his hear while trying to push it away, and did what he had been dying to do for a while. “Here, let me,” Bilbo said, gently pushing Thorin’s hair out of his face. Thorin bent slightly and Bilbo took his chance to tie it in a simple but practical bun. It bared his ears and for once Bilbo didn’t stop himself from brushing one finger against one of the big and round ears he secretly had always found to be rather adorable.

Bilbo stopped when another hand found his own and grasped it. Bilbo met Thorin’s gaze and was pleasantly surprised to see the dwarf smiling at him, in a way Bilbo had never seen. 

Thorin brought his hand to his lips and gave the palm a lingering kiss. “I hope it suits me. I must say I’m not used to having my hair in this style.”

“You look very handsome.” Bilbo admitted, breathless, not taking his eyes aways from Thorin. His palm burned where he had kissed him and Bilbo didn’t fail to notice that Thorin was still holding said hand and rubbing his thumb over the back of it. A loose strand of hair fell on top of Thorin’s hair and Bilbo drew closer and without much thought, he brushed it behind Thorin’s ear with his other hand. “It looks very fetching on you. It’s nice seeing your whole face like this.” He added, suddenly noticing they were mere inches apart. It would be so easy to just crane his neck a bit and close that remaining distance…

“Alright!” Said Fíli with a clap of his hands, startling both Thorin and him. “It makes us very happy you’re finally together but please keep your flirting to yourselves.” 

“Noo” Whined Kíli. “I wanted to see if they would really kiss in front of us! It looked that they had completely forgotten about us.”

Bilbo who was slowly separating from Thorin, trying to make it look as natural as possible, was unable to stop the furious blush that spread across his cheeks.

“Behave Kíli! You’re acting as if you have never seen a couple together.” Thorin barked, his brow furrowed. 

Bilbo looked in amusement the way Fíli elbowed his brother when he seemed to be about to open his mouth again.

“Sorry boys, I didn’t notice you were feeling left out.” Said Bilbo, as innocently as he managed while he walked towards the young dwarves until he was between the two. He put his hands on their shoulders and before anyone could say anything he chastely pecked their bearded cheeks, kissing first Fíli and then Kíli. “There you go, happy now?”

When none of the boys said a word — too stunned to say anything — Thorin chuckled and Bilbo joined him not long after, they looked at each other and shared an amused smile. It was a nice way to at least keep them quiet, perhaps he ought to do it more often — even if it was slightly embarrassing…

“Fine, you can be as affectionate as you want as long as you don’t leave us out. That felt a bit nice...” Admitted grumpily Kíli, crossing his arms and a rosy tinge on his young face.

“Just admit you like being pampered and getting kisses from Bilbo!” Fíli said with a laugh, not missing a chance to mess with his younger brother.

Kíli pushed him. “You liked it too. Don’t lie! I saw you blush and smile in that weird way you do when you are giddy!” Kíli accused.

“Shut up!” Responded Fíli, pushing his brother away. 

They joked around for a little more but quickly began working again at Bilbo’s insistence. Meanwhile, Thorin and Bilbo finished the remaining dishes together, slightly closer than before and a hundred times more at ease — the distance and awkwardness that laid between them, now broken.

The dinner on itself was a success and even though Bilbo had been nervous about seeing Dís, he shouldn’t have worried; she acted completely normal and Thorin managed to find all sorts of ways to distract her from talking privately to Bilbo, for which he was thankful. As much as he believed he could keep the lie as a secret from the rest of the people, he wasn’t so sure he could keep the charade when faced with Dís’ unrelenting questions. She was known for being a master when it came to making people spill their secrets and Bilbo wasn’t stupid enough to consider himself immune to her abilities. 

Perhaps it was because all the people that had gathered but by the end of the night, while he was picking up the last plates with the help of Thorin, Bilbo realized he had barely spoken with Dís and not even once she had asked about his relationship with her brother.

Bilbo found it slightly odd but decided to not linger much on it. Thinking about how he was deceiving his friends made him guiltier and guiltier as the days passed. He knew it was wrong and when Thorin got around telling Dís the truth things would get difficult but Bilbo was a very selfish hobbit and a coward at that. He didn’t have the strength to put a stop to this… 

Not for the first time he lamented this was only temporary…

* * *

Bilbo sleepily hummed when he felt a hand caressing his head. He burrowed into the warmness of what he absentmindedly realized was Thorin’s chest. 

He lazily opened his eyes, craning his head to meet Thorin’s soft gaze. Bilbo smiled at him and got closer to rub their noses together. Thorin chuckled and give Bilbo’s forehead a light kiss, making him scrunch his nose. Bilbo shivered faintly when Thorin ran his hand down his spine, all the way down to the curve of his bum.

Bilbo laughed and by simply turning his head a tad to the left he was able to capture Thorin’s bottom lip between his own. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the closeness and intimacy it brought. He savoured the moment and burned into his memory the feel Thorin gently stroking his waist, the feel of his beard tickling Bilbo’s bare face…

If only he could have this forever… That thought was enough to bring Bilbo to reality. 

He gasped and extracted himself from Thorin’s hold, getting up from the sofa — where they were previously laying down. “I’m so sorry!” Bilbo practically screamed, refusing to meet Thorin’s eyes.

Dear gods, what had he done…

“Bilbo w-” Thorin tried to say, but before he could even finish a sentence Bilbo ran away, his whole body trembling and his head swimming in panic. 

He ran out of his own house, without a thought of where he was heading, he faintly registered someone calling out to him and run faster until his legs almost gave out.

Tears slid down his face. Bilbo tried to clean them with his hands but more kept falling. Gasping for air between his sobs Bilbo sat down in a stone bench. 

How could he had been so stupid? 

Bilbo now had ruined everything. There was no way in all Arda that Thorin hadn’t figured out what Bilbo truly felt for him. 

What were they doing cuddling on that sofa, anyway? The last thing Bilbo remember was listening to Thorin hum an old dwarven song his mother used to sing to him and his siblings. 

He must have fallen asleep… 

Bilbo buried his face in his hands, taking deep breaths. 

“Are ye alright, lad?” Bilbo heard behind him, the sudden voice making him jump in surprise. 

Bilbo looked up and saw Dwalin’s imposing figure standing in front of him. 

“D-Dwalin. What are you doing here?” Asked Bilbo, hoarsely. 

“Sharpening my weapons.” He said, showing Bilbo one of his axes. “I was already here when you came. Yer in the armoury, lad.” Dwalin added, looking faintly worried.

“I- I see. I should go back, I’m sure Thorin must be upset I left so suddenly.” Bilbo mumbled as he got up with no small difficulty.

Dwalin pulled him by the arm and helped him stand properly. “Is this about your fake-relationship with Thorin?” He asked, with a raise of his brow.

Bilbo’s eye widened. “How do you know that?” He asked, urgently.

“I have always known.” Dwalin sat beside him and patted Bilbo on the back, strong enough to make his skin sting a little. Bilbo looked at him in astonishment. “Don’t like at me like that, what’s even more surprising is that no one else has found the truth out yet.” Dwalin said.

“We have only been pretending for two weeks. It’s not that long...” Bilbo replied, meekly. “Why didn’t you say anything?” He asked, after a moment of hesitation.

“Why would I? It’s none of my business, besides it was hilarious to watch you both blush at every chance.”

Bilbo glared at him. Of course he would find it funny. “Were we that obvious? Or was the concept of us being together too unbelievable?” Asked Bilbo, with a sneer.

His sorrow was quickly turning into anger, mostly at himself and Thorin for roping him into this mess, but it seemed Dwalin would be the one to take the brunt of it.

“Don’t be stupid. I knew it right away because Thorin didn’t tell me anything.” Dwalin said, beginning to clean the head of his axe. “Ye might not know this but that dwarf is a true gossip, especially when it comes to sentimental matters.” The dwarf chucked. “He always comes to me to talk about how yer a gift of Mahal or some other nonsense. If he had truly gattered the guts to ask ye out, I would have been the first one to know.”

“Wait — Does that mean Thorin feels the same for me?” Bilbo asked, not daring to hope. All of what Dwalin had said was too good to be true… Was there a possibility Thorin could reciprocate his feelings?

“Are daft, lad?” Dwalin asked, looking at Bilbo as if he had hit his head. “Thorin has liked you far longer than he would like to admit.” He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “I thought you knew but were waiting for Thorin to tell you.”

“What? Why would I do that?!” Shouted Bilbo, unbelieving. 

“How should I know, yer a hobbit!” Shouted Dwalin back, as if that explained everthing.

“What does that have- Never mind. I have to go talk to Thorin.” Bilbo said, decisively. He got up and fixed his crumpled clothes as best as he could. “Thank you, Dwalin!” He said, giving the dwarf a quick hug before dashing out of the armoury.

“Aye, aye. Go get yer dwarf, but I beg you, tell him to spare me the details.” 

Bilbo laughed wetly, as he heard the clear distaste in his voice.

His heart hammered in his chest as he ran, the need to see Thorin greater than ever. Bilbo trusted Dwalin but doubt still remained, for far too long he had told himself Thorin would never love him back. Could it be that instead of trying to avoid heartbreak he had only blinded himself in seeing what had always been in front of his eyes? 

There were times Bilbo could afford being a coward but this time wasn’t one of those. He had to face Thorin and properly talk to him, even if it didn’t end as he would have liked. Bilbo couldn’t keep living in this limbo of uncertainty and lies. 

It was not fair, for anyone.

He dashed past a few confused dwarves that called out his name, Bilbo ignored them and as he turned the hallway that lead to his rooms he collided with someone.

“Bilbo! I finally found you, _Âzyungûn_.” 

Bilbo looked up. “Thorin!” He said, finding the one he had been searching for in front of him.

“I’m sorry I scared you, Bilbo.” Thorin said, gravely. “I shouldn’t have done that. I overstepped your boundaries and I apologize for that.” He bowed his head to Bilbo and Bilbo threw himself at Thorin, hugging him as hard as he could.

“Don’t apologize Thorin. I was the one who was wrong. I not only kissed you without your consent, I also run away like a coward afterwards. I’m sorry. The truth..” Bilbo took a deep breath and let go of Thorin, meeting his gaze. It was now or never. “The truth is that I have been in love with you for a long time and much as I have tried to deny these feelings they still remain and they may even accompany me for my whole life. I’m sorry I hid this from you when you asked me to pose as your partner.” 

“Oh, _Uzfakuh_.” Said Thorin, pulling Bilbo once again in his arms. “You see, this whole misunderstanding came to be when I tried to tell Dís my feelings for you, in hopes she could help me win your heart. I didn’t express myself well and she misunderstood me.” Thorin grasped Bilbo’s head with both hands and nuzzled their noses together — in the same way Bilbo had done not long ago — after a moment of hesitation, Thorin tentatively captured Bilbo’s lips in a lingering kiss that seemed to last a whole life. “You didn’t do anything wrong either, Bilbo, that kiss was more than wanted — as I hope this one was too.” Thorin said after breaking off the kiss.

Bilbo nodded, an adoring smile taking place in his face. Bilbo felt in a dream. He could barely believe it, Thorin truly corresponded his feelings! “Well, that changes things, doesn’t it? ” He said, as he drew the dwarf into another kiss. This time Bilbo didn’t hold anything back. He poured his feelings into the kiss, wanting to show Thorin the extent of them.

They separated after a few seconds they separated, both breathless. Thorin gave Bilbo’s mouth short pecks, as if unwilling to let him go now that they could finally have this. Bilbo answered in kind and responded to the kisses hungrily.

“We should go talk to Dís.” Said Bilbo after a while. “We have lied to her enough already.”

Thorin sighed, letting Bilbo go. “You’re right.” He grimaced. “I’m already dreading what she will have to say about it...”

* * *

“What do you mean you already suspected?” Asked Thorin, incredulous.

“Well, it was obvious. You looked far from being courting someone, you can’t actually believe we would have believed such poor acting.” Dís responded, sipping from her cup of tea. 

“We couldn’t have been that bad.” Interjected Bilbo, with a grimace.

“The first week you jumped every time Thorin as much as brushed against you.” Dís said with a snort while Bilbo’s cheek flushed in embarrassment. “Well, I can admit that your longing and loving stares where quite credible and when you actually let yourselves relax your affection screamed ‘love’ all towards the Iron Hills.” 

“I see… Why didn’t you do say anything?” Inquired Thorin. 

“I was hoping you would fix it yourselves and in the end I was right.” Dís turned to Bilbo and grasped his hand. “Now I can officially welcome you into the family, Bilbo. Please, take good care of the doofus of my brother.”

Bilbo laughed, his heart finally at ease. “I will.” Assured Bilbo, turning to the right to meet Thorin’s loving gaze, the gaze of his lover, his friend, and maybe even his future husband. The one Bilbo wanted to spend his life with... “I couldn’t ask for anything more.” He said, at last. 

There were times even Thorin’s moments of panic did miracles, it seemed. To think a silly misunderstanding could have led to this unbounded happiness…

**Author's Note:**

>  _Âzyungûn_ \- Loved one.  
>  _Uzfakuh_ \- My greatest joy.
> 
> Yes, Thorin is an absolute sap. :D


End file.
